As promised, we now have our Jetty Island sensor up and running. The previous JI sensor has been refurbished and overhauled. With a dedicated internet connection and placed higher than before. A special thanks Andy Petralli for donating a customized connection router (specially built). Also great support from the Jetty Ranger, Tim.

For those who were out on the Jetty today please confirm with OSR. I understand it was 10m.These are the graphs for the day. The first one is the new sensor and the second is the iKitesurf Sensor (Steamboat).

Thank you guys for your hard work in getting the Jetty sensor operating and connected - a huge contribution to the local kite community!

I was on a 10m today, but others were on 12m and Philipp was on 14m going big. It was really windy for a bit around 3pm, sand moving on the beach! Sensor data looks fairly accurate to me and my perception of wind during the session.

Last edited by pdaniels on Thu May 19, 2016 8:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

I was just looking at both the Steamboat and the JI sensor - they seem to be apart by 5-10mph for the same time period. I noticed walking to the boat launch that the wind is definitely diminished at the ranger station, compared to being on the beach. There is always that venturi effect on the beach though, and the sensor is pretty darn high on the ranger building. I was riding a 12m and it was up and down (I was never overpowered and often felt underpowered), a bit holey and we had some decent sized wind waves yesterday. It was also true NW yesterday, and at times more NNW, so perhaps the JI sensor was getting shadowed a bit. It seems to me maybe the truth is somewhere in between both sensors.

Thanks for the feedback. As you can imagine there is no ideal location for a sensor. For thermal winds, variables such as terrain, time of day and direction come into play. Especially at JI as we kite on lighter winds there are various zones that may have more or less wind depending on the day.

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For those with access to the iKitesurf sensor, it is a good predictor if you are onsite (or live close) that the wind is approaching . It can take between 10 min to 20 min between the spike of Steamboat sensor and wind to ride. At the same time it is not uncommon to have nice reading at Steamboat and no rideable wind at JI. The Steamboat sensor is located about 2miles NW of JI.

Considering technical limitations, permission and budget, the JI sensor is located in the best location. It is located 3 times farther that recommended from tall structures (buildings and trees). High enough so it is not affected by the structures right underneath. Communicating the data back to mainland is at its max design limit. In a perfect world we would need up to 5 sensor spread out to get an accurate reading. As you know, wind is not constant, our kites take the average, as do the wind sensor.

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Please continue to provide feedback. This will help future adjustments and plans.

Finally, I am glad some got the wind yesterday. I just stared at the newly installed sensor's info while working.

Skill level: Beginner (8ft or lower tide)Best wind direction: SE, SWarnings:Water level, as mentioned above. If you are kiting on a high tide, keep in mind that you will not be able to stand up before your kite is in someone’s front yard. Beware of getting your kite too close to the bluff as the wind can be very unpredictable and can swirl. On extreme tidal exchanges beware of wood debris in the water. The wind speed can both increase and shut off very quickly so keep an eye over your shoulder to watch upcoming conditions. There are a lot of buoys. Take care avoiding them.

DB is a pre-frontal location with the best winds before and after the southerly storms. Look for a SE in Puget Sound, Northern Islands and Admiralty Inlet from the NOAA marine forecast. It will often blow on a forecast of SE 10-20, but SE 15-25 and above is more desirable. Beware of any W in the forecast as it will shut down Double Bluff very quickly. For current conditions, Point No Point and Marrowstone are iKitesurf sensors to watch. The ferry readings of Edmonds – Kingston are also very helpful. The wind is onshore to sideshore in the bay depending on where you ride and the wind can sometimes be incredibly steady.

Water: Double Bluff is a tide dependent location. An 8 ft or below water level is ideal and gives enough sand to rig and launch safely on the beach. When there is a strong outgoing tide, be ready for some nice peeling waves as the wind opposes the current and the water is shallow. The whole bay will empty out into a sand playground on an extreme low tide. Most of the time you will have plenty of waist deep water before running into the beach so it is the perfect location to try and perfect new tricks.

Rig & launch: Please launch on the sand whenever possible! When the tide is high there is no beach, only logs, and no safe launch/land zone. Some kiters rig up in the grass area to keep their gear clean, but remember that this is not an ideal launch/land zone as the wind is onshore with many obstacles (including the bathrooms and bluff). It is a very easy and safe launch when the tide is low and there is sand available. Local kiters have asked that we not launch/land from the grass area near the restrooms at any time.

Facilities: Double Bluff Park has two bathrooms. Except during the winter months, the outside freshwater showers are functioning and are available to rinse you and your gear. It is a well-known off leash dog park so Fido is encouraged to join you as long as he is “kite trained.” The off-leash zone starts at the old windsock located 100 meters north of the restrooms. There is free parking in the lot for approximately 15 vehicles. Please do not block the drive-through.

Temps are dropping and Southerlies are starting to roll in. This means, it is time for the Jetty Island Sensor to go into hibernation. Don’t worry, it will be all rested and ready to go back out by next spring.